It's been just under a month since the Washington Commanders drafted Josh Conerly Jr., and if there's one thing he's learned, it's that things happen quickly with the Burgundy & Gold.

"You do have to know your stuff, and know it fast," Conerly told reporters May 10 during rookie minicamp. "That's the only way you're gonna get out there."

For the Commanders, part of the plan is to get Conerly up to speed as quickly as possible so he can get in the starting lineup and protect quarterback Jayden Daniels at some point in the 2025 season. The Commanders haven't ruled out anything for Conerly, aside from playing left tackle, but regardless of where he ends up, they're confident he can help elevate their performance up front.

But head coach Dan Quinn doesn't want the rookie thinking about that right now, and Conerly isn't looking that far ahead. For now, he's fine with working on his skill set and (quickly) getting up to speed on Washington's offense.

"Just get out here and work," Conerly said. "It's a smaller group of guys, so I can get to know them as best I can, and obviously just take all the coaching that I can, absorb that and put it into my play."

"We've really just been working a little bit of everything."

That falls in line with what Quinn was looking for from the draft picks, undrafted free agents and tryout players during the three-day rookie minicamp and will continue to keep an eye on during the offseason workout program. He wants to see them take to what they are taught in the classroom onto the field.

"Think of it as onboarding," Quinn said. "These are the standards. These are things that are important to us. These are the ways that we go about it, and it doesn't just take place over one weekend."

There's no timetable for when Conerly will be ready for a starting job, and the Commanders are not giving away their plans. Still, Conerly is doing all he can to improve, and that starts with working alongside offensive line coach Bobby Johnson. It shouldn't come as a surprise at this point in the offseason that Johnson is covering all the basics with the rookie.

"We've really just been working a little bit of everything," Conerly said. "Mainly install stuff and just making sure I've got all the plays down."

"At the end of the day, it's just football."

Conerly's first bit of work with the Commanders was limited to time with the other four draft picks, 10 undrafted free agents and 21 tryout players. Most of his time did not include interacting with the veterans, who have been working out at the facility since mid-April, but he had gotten to see a few of them around the building. All the vibes, he said, have been good and welcoming for him and his fellow rookies.

He also got some advice from 2024 third-round pick Brandon Coleman, who earned the starting left tackle spot as a rookie. The biggest takeaway: be yourself and "make sure you know everything."

"He just gave me a little rundown of how these few days would have been, and it helped me a lot," Conerly said.

Conerly said it was "pretty unreal" when he got to put on his Commanders practice gear for the first time. The reality that he was in the NFL hit him as soon as he stepped onto the field, and he described it as "a dream come true."

And he doesn't want to miss a single moment of it.

"At the end of the day, it's just football," Conerly said. "And you gotta go out there and play."